


Revenge

by AinZaphir



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Love, Pranks and Practical Jokes, little duck - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:01:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23161387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AinZaphir/pseuds/AinZaphir
Summary: Bain reflects upon his relationship with Sara Ryder.For GuileandGall.
Relationships: Bain Massani/Female Ryder | Sara
Comments: 14
Kudos: 15
Collections: Spectre Requisitions 2020





	Revenge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GuileandGall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuileandGall/gifts).



The first time they had met, it had been because he’d hailed her. He had talked to her, assessed her and put her to work. He didn’t know what possessed her to actually take on his challenge-- he hadn’t expected her to-- the only reason he had hailed her was because he’d been bored, after all. The pathfinding team had been there by coincidence-- Bain had just seen them on the comms and figured why the heck not. He had never in a million years expected her to respond, let alone complete his little challenge. But her reluctance to take shit from anyone and refusal to meet shitty expectations had intrigued him. 

The second time they met, he became absolutely sure she was showing off for him. Yelling “housekeeping, bitches” whilst gunning down Kett-- for someone whose day job mostly consisted of doing just that could not be anything but showing off. Her team was bound to have seen her do this a thousand times before, the only new element in this equation was _him_. 

This realization still made him smile, even a year after he had made it. No matter how hard she would later insist that she wasn’t showing off, she certainly hadn’t fooled him that day with her nonchalant: “Oh, Bain. Didn’t see ya there. Announce yourself so I don’t gun you down, next time” As if his presence had been an afterthought.

She had totally been showing off. 

_Game on, little duck_.

He didn’t remember exactly what he’d replied to her statement as to announcing himself on the battlefield. He did remember her reaction, so in hindsight whatever it was he had said had probably annoyed her immensely. It was also when he first noticed the glimpse in her eye that occurred whenever he annoyed her, because it was when he made a halfway conscious mental note to continue messing with her as much as possible, and whenever possible. Preferably all the time.

He soon started loving the way she stared at him-- even if the stare consisted of daggers-- at the sound of his little words so carefully chosen just for her. 

_Little Duck._

Few things gave him more joy in life than watching the look of complete and utter annoyance her face would take in the span of a millisecond. She’d go from being happy and content to very visibly annoyed as soon as she’d managed to hear what he’d said. It didn’t matter where it happened, out on Eos, in her quarters aboard the Tempest, it was always exciting to watch her change from a happy-go-lucky sort of attitude to pure rage. 

On one such occasion he actually thought she might just shoot him, even though they were in bed when he’d mischievously called her by her nickname. The stare had been just that mad, and the punch in his side even more so. 

But the best times, in Bain's mind anyway, were the times he’d managed to mix it up-- to even more annoyance for his pathfinder. 

_Duckling_ . _Ducky. Mallard. Daisy._

Admittedly that last one had been a bit of a stretch. She’d had to ask her AI to provide the reference, but once she figured out the relation to a 20th century comic book about a duck, Bain had had hell to pay. He never managed to figure out exactly why _that particular reference_ was worse than the occasional duckling reference, but it was what it was. But it wasn’t all violent types of revenge either, she had her own little ways of getting back at him in ways and at times he least expected.

The most prominent punishment of which was to pour ice cold water on him whilst taking a hot shower. She had done this successfully exactly 3 times over the span of 4 months. Although he’d managed to successfully scave her off the fourth time she was stalking towards him with a bucket of water, Bain was absolutely positive she was planning another such attack-- and soon. So Bain had taken to lock the bathroom door whenever he could remember to do so. Unless she had taken to using his dread of ice cold water as a way of punishment. Which he wouldn’t put past her. He both loved and hated the paranoia she managed to instill upon him.

She never directly correlated her little punishments to his teasings, but he had caught on fast enough. She had, once his screaming had subsided, made a dry remark about quacking. It hadn’t been funny but he’d caught on. And promptly escalated the teasing.

A smarter man might have stopped. A wiser man would have at least tried to, especially when she discovered that he was very ticklish and he in turn had discovered that she wasn’t. But Bain had long since decided that this was a war, and wars must be won. Which was when he decided to hack her omni tool to play quacking sounds every time she got a message. She had responded by messing with the timezone settings on his. Never would he ever meet anyone on time again. 

But he had other tricks up his sleeve. And he had patience, which she had not. It was how he could easily foresee any tricks she had up her sleeves, merely due to the timeframe of which she executed her little pranks. Much like the woman he had become so infatuated with, sweet and to the point. 

Her many plans of revenge all had a short planning period in common, but despite bearing the marks of something that hadn’t been planned for long they were remarkably intelligent. Like how every time Bain thought he’d figured the timezone thing out, the parameters changed. The revenges were many, and they had been at this for a long time. He wasn’t sure if he was more annoyed or in awe at her dedication the minute he realised she had stolen one sock from all of his pairs of socks. 

A smarter man might think how he had brought this upon himself. But the time for diplomacy had long since passed between them, and even if they were having dinner, going for a walk or even laying in bed, he couldn’t help himself in setting her off.

_Little duck._

Which now didn’t really earn him as much backlash as a jab to the shoulder and a brief “shut up!”, especially when she was working on her omni tool, hunched up beside him wearing his shirt, in a stolen weekend on her couch aboard the Nexus. 

The fucking Nexus. Bain had never thought he’d ever be back there, yet here he was, in Sara Ryders quarters, her wearing his shirt, messing around with her omni tool for what seemed like the umpteenth time that month. 

It was all so… _normal_. At times he dared not even pinch himself out of fear that this was a dream, something unreal, a construct of his imagination. He was afraid that if he touched her, reached out to feel her skin against his hand she’d vanish and he’d once again be back into the nightmare that was the days after arriving in the Heleus cluster. 

Yet here she was. Staring at him. 

“What?” She said, eyes boring into his, a quizzical look overtaking her features. 

“What?” Bain replied, narrowing his brows at her, not really getting what it was she was asking. 

“What is it?” Sara said, still looking intently at him, a slight pout overtaking her mouth. The temptation had gotten too big. He had to.

“Nothing, duckling. Nothing at all.” Bain tried not to laugh in anticipation. He felt her fist hitting his arm, not unexpected, but crude nonetheless. 

“Ouch.” 

“If you don’t like the punching, then maybe don’t call me duckling.” 

“If you don’t want to be referred to as duckling, I’d advise you not to make yourself look like one with those excellent lips of yours.” 

This time he managed to place a protective pillow between himself and her fist. 

“Violent little duckling you are.” Bain continued, barely containing his laughter as Sara managed to get on top of him. She had utilized the pillow originally intended to be a shield, hitting him with it mercilessly. Resistance was futile. She had won. She had not won the war between them, off course, but she had won _him_ a long time ago. Even if it was getting hard to breathe from her incessant tickling.

Her little threats of killing him made him throw up his arms in mock surrender, as hard as it was with his convulsing muscles, still failing to keep a straight face. The tickling subsided. As he finally looked up, she didn’t even look that angry, not really. Her hands were resting on his shoulders, pinning him down before she lowered herself on top of him to claim his lips in a kiss.

“I love you, you ticklish bastard.” 

Nothing ever made him smile more than the sound of those words.

**Author's Note:**

> For GuileandGall. 
> 
> I am sorry for any grammar errors.


End file.
